Saturday, 18 January 2014

Script to Screen: Idea Possibilities


After the feedback, I went on to rethink about my idea for this project. Both ideas have similar concept but I think Idea 7 would work better as animation in the given time frame.

Idea 6

Title: You’ve Been Fished
Character 1: Alan (Zookeeper who is the fisherman)

Character Biography:
> 30 year old man
> Socially awkward individual who had an obsession for animal’s hair
> Works in the zoo because that is the only place that had all kinds of animals with different hair texture that he could care for

Character 2: Tom (Craftsman/Souvenir Shop Owner)

Character Biography:
> 52 year old craftsman who had a huge obsession over crafting wood
> Works at the Zoo’s souvenir shop
> Found a new obsession: individually customising the handles with intricate designs representing the animals he had used to make the bristles of it.
> Designed a special section in the shop to display and sell his collection
> Business was booming

Story:
Alan and Tom knew each other, as they were colleagues at the Zoo. During a discussion over lunch, Alan and Tom were brainstorming on how to earn more as they did not earn much from their jobs. Knowing that Alan has access to all the animals at all times and his obsession over animal’s hair, Tom took advantage of Alan. He had manage to successfully convinced Alan to help  him to fish out the animals with the best hair so that he could bring his idea of crafting a collection of paintbrush as souvenirs come to live. To cover up their tracks, Alan pretended to be alarmed and reported the missing animals that were under his care. Posters of the wanted “Fisherman” were seen all over the zoo. Tom’s new collection at the gift shop, on the other hand, was flourishing as his artworks were seen as exquisite. Neither felt threatened by the signs and carried on with the plan. It was until one day, an undercover officer who was assigned to this case, caught them in action. Alan and Tom were caught in the net of this under cover investigation.

 Idea 7

Title: The Obsessive Artist
Character Biography:
> Alvaro, a 42-year-old reputable wildlife artist
> Quiet in person but expressive in terms of his artwork
> Employee at Emerald Zoological Gardens
> Perfectionist
> Medium Built, about 5’8” weighing 165 lbs

Artist of all ages are always seen setting up their easel in front of an animal’s enclosure of their choice, as they attempt to capture nature’s beauty on to their canvases. Alvaro is the zoo’s artist. He gained recognition for his artwork after one of his painting won the prestigious Turner Prize award. An award that only the best in the field will receive. He is employed to paint animal portraits and scenes of the zoo that are being sold at its gift shop.

Alvaro’s artworks are very distinguished and admired because of his precise brushstrokes. Just like any other day, as Alvaro was in the midst of creating a masterpiece, he realised that the strokes that began to appear on his canvas was clumsy and rough. Instinctively, he knew that his favourite paintbrush have been fully utilised. A perfectionist, he believed that he was not able to function any further if he does not get his bristles replaced immediately. The search of finding the perfect bristle triggered the madness.
As an employee of the zoo, Alvaro had the access to be in it after the closing time.

Alvaro took this opportunity of the late night stays in the zoo and went on fishing for the animal he thought would be a perfect match. He started of this craze by netting smaller animals such squirrels and mongoose. After experimentation, he realised that this two types of animals was not to his expectation. He went on to fish for his next victims, a pony and subsequently a badger, always experimenting it in his small studio at the back of the zoo. Meanwhile, the disappearance of the animals was an alarming issue at the zoo and signage of rewards were put up to help capture what the zoo called “The Fisherman”. Alvaro was very determined and obsessed to find his replacement bristles that these wanted signs were not even once seen as a slightest threat to this madness. A sinister, sadistic smile was painted all over Alvaro’s face upon the discovery that the Ox, his last victim, was the key animal to craft his perfect bristle.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Ayunie,

    Nice developments here: I think, given the 1 min duration, you need to seek ways to economise your storytelling; so idea 7 seems more promising, in so much as you need only establish one character. I don't think it's important really to have the artists as an employee of the zoo; that's a complication in terms of storytelling - just make him an artist in pursuit of the perfect bristle. In this way, I don't even think it helps your story now if he's specifically a painter of animals or that he comes to the zoo to paint them. The idea of an obsessive, competitive artist questing after the 'perfect bristle' is enough of a goal. That specific animals keep disappearing from the local zoo is your mystery - the handiwork of 'The Fisherman' - a character who lures animals out of their enclosures using a rod/net etc. They way in which you put these components together - the way in which you structure the reveal of the culprit etc. - or the way in which you 'punish' the artist becomes the pivot of your story. For example, I can imagine a revenge finale here somehow, where your artist (perhaps he has a luxuriant arty moustache) has his own 'bristles' pulled out, with the final scene being the animals 'painting' something with a brush made from the artist's hair? So, I think in terms of clean storytelling - the artist no longer has to be associated with zoo at all, but rather associated with the quest for the perfect bristles; cue newspaper headlines re. 'The Fisherman Strikes Again At Local Zoo' - so, you've got the character's quest, you've got the causality, but what is the final flourish of story that will leave your audience feeling satisfied? Let's see some further refinements on here, because you're closing in nicely on a resolved premise :)

    ReplyDelete